Improvement in apparatus for navlgatins and oplratims torpedqogqats



Sf/ffrs. I 6 ShetSf--Shei l...

1L 3." SMITH.

MPARATUS'FQR NAvxGATiNG AND urn-RATING Tammo-Bows.

' Eatenzed Nov. 7,1876.

Wl TNESSES.

6 SHEETS. 6 Sheets-Sheet 2....

H.5.SMTH.

APPARATUS FOR NAVGATI'NG AND OPERATENG TOBPEDC-BQATS No. 184,182. Patented New?, 3.876.l

w w/NEssfs.

6` SHEETS G'Sheets-Sheet Lk'.

, E. l. SMITH. APPARATUS Foa NAvlGATNG AND or ERATING ToRPEDo-BGATSL Patented Nov. 7, 1876.

AF/G, 16,.

INVENTO/,

MTNA-sass.

rockshaft S is also attached a lever, L, which, by its oscillations, operates a ratchet-wheel, R1, mounted upon a second spindle,rS1, having bearings in the frame. v As the spindle S1 revolves it turns a hand or pointer, which is attached to it at one end and swings over the dial, (shown in Fig. 7,) for a purpose hereinafter fully set forth. The rock-shaft S is vibrated by the action of. the armature el, in connection with the spring t, which is attached at one end to an arm, h, extendingdown from the rock-shaft S, and at the other end, as j shown,'to a winder, p, operated by its head p to regulate the tension of the screw. As before stated, Gis the galvanometer on board the` boat. y

The screw-cups of both galvanometers are marked o, and the mercury-cups m, there being the proper connection between'the mercurycups'and screw-cups. Besides the reel-wire 1-, connecting with the galvanometer G2, as hefore stated, the galvanonleter has two wires, 12 and 16, connecting it with an instrument shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, and at C2 in Fig.

1,*wl1ich will next' be described, and whose office is to bring into circuit, as desired, electro mechanism situated in" various parts of the boat, as hereinafter -sct forth. This lastmentioned instrument contains two separate mechanisms, one or the other of which is operated, accordingly as a current of one or the opposite polarity passes through the galva `nom'eter G?. A current of one polarity, entering the instrument by means of wire 12, the circuit being completed as hereinafter set forth, operates electro mechanism substan tially the same as that shown in the dialin strument, and it is, therefore, unnecessary to describe it furthcrthan to say that E2 is the corresponding electro-magnet; c2, the armature; S2, a rockshaft; L2, the lever; S3, the.

ratchet-wheel spindle; R2, the ratchet-wheel, and t2 a spring, having its tension regulated as in the other instrument. The frame of this instrument is marked F2, and the bed-plate D. The spindle S3, instead of carrying a hand or pointer, carries a circuit-closer, which is a copper'spring, i, the positionl and tension of which are determined by a set-screw, Z. One

end 'of the circuit-closer i, as it revolves, presses against some one of the sectors marked 1*'L 2* 3* 4* 5* 0* of a plate, T, corresponding to the dial-plate before described. Each of these sectors isinsulated as regards the othcrs,`but is connected with apparatus in another part of the boat Aby a corresponding wire, w1, a02, &c. One spool of the magnet E2 is connected with the screw-cup c2 by wire 13;

` the other spool is connected, by wire-14, with screw-cup c, whence wire 15 leads to the side of the boat or to the water,`completing the circuit with the water-wire 6. The ratchetwheels R1 and R2 have the same number of teeth, viz., 24.

'quires little explanation.

however, that the mechanisms are in unison, a stop is provided for the instrument C2. It consists of a small catch, r, o'n the face ofthe ratchet-wheeLR?, which, as it revolves, is brought against a latch, l. This catch. corresponds in position to the zero-sector. When, therefore, the ratchet of the dial-instrument has made a complete revolution, the operator may he sure that the circuit-closer t' is in contact with the sector 0*, and working the dial ratchet by hand will cansepthe pointer to indicate zero on the dial. The other wire, 16, of the galvanometer G2 leadsl to screw-cup 09, connection lthence being made by wire17 wit-h one spool of clectro-magnet E, the other spool. connecting with the spindle S3 by wire 18 and the frame-work, and the circuit being completedv by the circuit-closer i, sector-plate T,

and wires w1, 11:2, dac., leading to other separateelectro-magnets, each of which has one wire running to the water. The armature of electro-magnet E3 is marked e3. By its vibrations it actuates the latch l through the spindle S,

as shown in' Fig. 5.' A spring, t, ralsesthe armature'when not attracted by the magnet, and a stop,- ulimits its upward motion, as shown in Fig. 5.

The additional electro mechanism referred to as situated. inother parts of the boat for performing various oices is simple, and re- In each case there is an electro-magnet, by the vibration of whose arxnature'a valve is moved-in the ordinary way, or a lanyard pulled,'c1ockwork put in operation, dto., one spool of the electro-magnet being connected with the sector-plate T by a wire, lw1 w3, and the other having a Wire running to the water.

In the drawings, to save space, each of the wires w1, wi, 85o., is'represented as leading to a separate screw-cup in a caseX. Each A brief description of the operation of this` apparatus will be snicient. The switch at B being in the position indicated in Fig. 1,'t

may be assumed that the polarity of the cur- I rent has just been reversed. The two galvanometers have been similarly aected, and the electro-magnets of bothv ratchet mechanisms are in the circuit. 'The operator operates the key until the'dial indicates the work he wishes to perform, when he shifts the switch, thereby reversing the current, causing the needles of the galvanometers to swing` over, throwing the two ratchet mechanisms out of the circuit, and bringing' into the. circuit the electro-niagnet E3, and, through the circuit-closerv i, thev electro-magnet connected with the required work. p

'As before indicated, the operator, by o f the unison-'stop r, may bring both ratchet wheelsto the zero-point before working the ratchets to any required point.- Whenever tion.

my ofthe electro-magnets supposed to be at X is in -the circuit, the electro-magnet E3 is also in the circuit, and its armature Willvibrate at the pulsations given bythe key. When, therefore, the armature e3 releases the unison-stop 1', the wire leading from tiic sector-plate T should lead, not to any mechanism, but directly to the Water.

A skillful operator may dispense with the galvanometer and dial-irftrument at his sta- Knowing the number of teeth in the ratchet on board the boat, at each operation to be performed he can countthe pulsations given by his key'after releasing' the stop 1, until he reaches the number corresponding` to the sector establishing communication with the required work.

1. The combination of the galvanometer G2, the ratchet mechanism operated by electro magnet E2, the switch mechanism operated by electrofmagnet E3, with three or more of the electro-magnets represented at X, and the mechanism connected therewith, for controlling the movements of torpedo-boats, all operated by a single reel-wire, substantially a's tion signed and witnessed, at Boston, this 8th .day of March, A. D.'1873.

i H! JULIUs SMITH. l Witnesses:

CHAs. H. SWAN, WILLIAM W.SWAN. 

